Vitamin D: Insurance Against Preterm Births

Preterm births (birth before 37 weeks instead of 40) are still very common, and they can lead to complications. The World Health Organization estimates that the number is 15 million a year and rising and says that preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death for children under five. Shockingly, the United States has the sixth highest rate of preterm births in the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that preterm births affect one out of every ten infants in the United States, and the number may actually be as high as 12%. In Canada, the rate is 7.8%.

But new research suggests a very safe, simple and effective solution. . . .

The study measured the blood levels of vitamin D of 1,064 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 45. They were then each given vitamin D supplements and given a dose intended to bring their vitamin D level up to 40 ng/mL or higher.

13% of the women in the study gave birth to preterm infants. But for women whose vitamin D levels were 40 ng/mL or higher, the rate was a significant 62% lower than women whose vitamin D levels were 20 ng/mL or lower. When women whose vitamin D levels were below 40 ng/mL at the beginning of the study got their levels up to over 40 ng/mL during their pregnancy, their risk went down by 60%.

This study suggests the important possibility that getting your vitamin D levels up during pregnancy can cut your risk of preterm birth by about 60%. The authors of the study point out that it also suggests that pregnant women need much higher vitamin D levels than the recommended 20 ng/mL

And this study is not alone. A just published systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 studies has now confirmed that insufficient vitamin D is associated with risk of preterm birth. It found an 83% increased risk of births earlier than 32-34 weeks and a 13% increased risk of births before 35-37 weeks in women with insufficient levels of vitamin D (PLoS ONE 2017;12(3): e0173605).

PLoS ONE 2017;12(7): e0180483

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